


Sparkle Explains How Rebellion Works Without Using The Word Rebellion

by Jinx72



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Catra reflects on her actions and realises that maybe Glimmer isn't so bad, Early S5, Gen, Horde Prime mentioned, catra and glimmer talk, not much to say ig, set on the horde prime spaceship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:08:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24877450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jinx72/pseuds/Jinx72
Summary: Catra visits Glimmer in her 'queenly quarters' a.k.a prison cell so kindly provided by Horde Prime for reasons she hasn't really figured out yet. She figures it out by the time she leaves.
Relationships: Catra & Glimmer (She-Ra)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 46





	Sparkle Explains How Rebellion Works Without Using The Word Rebellion

**Author's Note:**

> second ever she-ra fic i've written. crossposted from my tumblr. my first she-ra fic is bad and disjointed so just read this one instead.

Catra _knows_ she shouldn’t be here. She does. She knows she has no way of anticipating what Prime’s punishment might be, and she knows she has no way of running from it.  
She knows she shouldn’t be walking to Queen Sparkle’s cell right now. But despite every _inch_ , every _cell_ in her body screaming for her to turn back… she doesn’t.

Catra has long since mastered the silent approach. She used to love scaring Adora with it, when she’d least expect it. And serves her well, even now, even as she approaches what she knows looks like a solid wall from this princess’ side.  
She shouldn’t be here. She should turn around, and claim to her guides that she just got lost.  
She doesn’t.  
Instead, she walks right up to the cell and slides her fingers down the door, so she can see in, and Sprinkle can see out.

Twinkle jolts as soon as the wall thins, finally ceasing her frantic pacing, and Catra watches her bite back a curse.  
“What do _you_ want?” the princess snaps, and she’d be so very threatening if she wasn’t five-foot-flat and pink.

Catra… doesn’t reply. Because she doesn’t know. What _does_ she want? She wants to stay alive, for one, but being _here_ doesn’t accomplish that. She’s looking for something, something she has never really tried to seek out before, something that was always wrenched from her the moment she got comfortable.  
Companionship.  
“Nothing,” she says, and sits down on the floor on her side of the cell door. “Does it matter?”  
Shimmer stares at her for a moment, before approaching slowly. She sits too, cautiously, eyes flicking around her Catra’s ever-persistent entourage.  
“I ditched them,” Catra offers in explanation, inspecting her claws as Flash gawks at her. “At least, for now.”  
“Yeah,” Flicker pushes, scooting closer to the cell door and putting her chin in her hands, staring Catra down. “But _why?”_

Catra doesn’t reply. She doesn’t want to. A reply would be incriminating. She says nothing and looks away, but it seems to be answer enough for Sparky over there, who seems to laugh to herself for a moment, before they fall into silence.

They sit, and it… isn’t awful. Catra has gotten used to awful silences. Those choking, awkward, smothering ones that no one likes. Apart from maybe Horde Prime, and maybe Shadow Weaver, because they always seem to enjoy making people as uncomfortable as possible.  
Though recently, Catra had gotten used to not-silence. She’d had Adora, for one. Then she had Scorpia, who didn’t seem to have ever heard the word _quiet_ in her life. Then, she’d had Double Trouble… until she hadn’t. And now she was here.  
And the only hope of breaking the dreadfully monotonous silence of space was the last piece of Etheria Catra had.   
Even it if _was_ Glitter.

They sit in silence, but it’s not fully awkward. It’s not a monitored silence. It’s just a silence between two people trying to figure out whether a conversation should happen.  
Then,  
“So,” Sequins begins, drawing out the sound as Catra’s head snaps up. “What… What was your favourite place you’ve ever been to?”  
“What?”  
Catra didn’t mean to sound as on edge as she does, but she supposes Glamour can’t fault her for that.  
“On Etheria,” the princess repeats. “We’ve been all over the place, fighting each other. Any places stick out to you?”  
Catra considers. She does.   
She remembers the Whispering Woods… too creepy. She remembers the water kingdom… but, of course, too wet. She remembers Bright Moon. Not a fan. That snowy place Entrapta dragged her to. Not a fan.  
Catra remembers the Crimson Wastes most fondly. The time she spent there was glorious and sweet, powerful and fun, and…

Catra looks away.  
Because Scorpia made it happen.

…She misses Scorpia. She’d never admit it, but she misses her _dearly._ Scorpia was too good for her. She regrets how she treated her.  
Instead of voicing what went through her head to someone who was her enemy maybe less than a week ago, maybe more, Catra simply shrugs sharply.

Twinkle seems unphased. Like she expected this sort of thing from her.  
“I liked Frosta’s kingdom,” she says, smiling into the air. “Even though… even though Princess Prom went poorly, you can’t deny that her palace was beautiful.”  
“Princess Prom,” Catra snorts. “God, that feels like years ago.”  
Shine laughs at that.“No thanks to you, huh?” she smiles, and Catra is surprised at how she smiles. But maybe, she muses, Glint smiles because she has no other choice, other than wallowing. Though Catra would always choose wallowing over laughing, she can respect that, she supposes.  
“The Crimson Waste,” Catra pipes up suddenly. “I liked the Crimson Waste. Wasn’t too cold.”  
“Ugh,” Flutter snorts jokingly. “Too much sand for me.”

Catra laughs at that. A quiet, breathy thing that was afraid to wander past her lips. But it does. And it seems to colour the air between them, colour it something warmer than the white, green and grey that presses down on them from every side.  
And it’s then that Catra _understands._

This is rebellion. _This_ ; even something this small. This is individuality, this is preservation.  
This is what freedom feels like.

Well… Catra doesn’t want to be too bold. But… she _loves_ it. Is this what took Adora from her? Because, if that was the case… she could almost understand.

She and Glitter talk a little longer. Of nonsense things. Of favourite foods and dumb jokes. Of people and places and things, and before too long, Catra’s fur is on end, and she slinks to her feet, glancing around.  
“What’s wrong?” Twinkle demands, clambering to her feet too, weak sparkles darting around her hands, seemingly more out of habit than effect.  
“I think that’s us for now,” Catra mutters, stepping away into the corridor. “Gotta go.”  
“Oh.”  
Sparkle seems disappointed. Catra fights the warmth down off her face. She’s never had someone disappointed to see her leave.  
No. No, that was a lie. But this is the first time that Catra realises she relishes that fact.

“I’ll be back,” Catra promises, and she flinches as she does, because she’s never, _ever_ , promised that before.

Glimmer smiles.

“Thanks, Catra,” she says quietly. “See ya later.”

Catra doesn’t reply. She barely reacts. All she does is slink away into the shadows, tamping down the glow in her chest into something more manageable, something easier to hide, and tucking it away in her memory, as something to covet, to treasure.

She’d be back. Not out of obligation, or fear, but because she wants to be.

Because she’s rebelling now. And freedom has never tasted so sweet.


End file.
